Siberian Persuasion
by EternalCullen
Summary: Rose and Dimitri One-Shot. Rose's reaction to Dimitri after he volunteers to kill the Blood King in Homecoming. Dimitri's P.O.V. - Split into three chapters.
1. Siberian Persuasion - Part One

The ownership of all characters related to and involving the novels of _The Vampire Academy_ and _Bloodlines_ Series remain the sole property of Richelle Mead, the Penguin Group and any affiliates.

No copyrights have been infringed on maliciously.

A/n: I know that I keep repeating myself, but you guys are AWESOME! Thank you so much for following and reviewing my version of Dimitri.

This FF is based on the events in _Homecoming_ after Dimitri volunteers to kill the Blood King. It's my version of how Rose _should_ have reacted with extra bits of fluff thrown in because I love the banter between these two. Still technically a one-shot, I've split it into three chapters. Enjoy!

Siberian Persuasion – Part one

Quietly opening the creaking wooden door leading out from the kitchen, I slipped out the back of the house and into the small garden as the stillness of the night air that greeted me was punctuated by the uncoordinated clinking of shot glasses and the sound of raucous cheers from inside the house.

Grinning in indulgent amusement at the revelry that was only now starting to wind down, I breathed deeply as I stood on the shallow stone steps; filling my lungs with the scent of the air I had been raised with…the air that I had been away from for far too long.

Tilting my head back, I gazed up at the full moon suspended high in the Siberian night and felt the nostalgia of my memories sweep over me.

I hadn't realised until this moment just how much I had missed everything about the land of my birth. Feeling a light breeze tug gently at my unbound hair, I brushed the strands aside; absently tucking them behind my ears as I looked out over the town and the mountainous range beyond, and thought back to my decision to return home.

Justifiably nervous about the return trip, I had been in two minds for days leading up to my final decision. Torn between wanting to see my family; the family I hadn't seen in years and the painful truth of the heinous deeds I had committed as a Strigoi, it had been acute homesickness that had eventually made the decision for me…that, and the unflinching support of the one person who knew me the best.

Rose knew what I struggled with…what I still fought to overcome every, single day. She had been the one to experience it with me and was the only one who could ever fully understand and identify with it.

With her constant reassurance that my family and the community would welcome me back with open arms – she had never doubted that this was for the best, despite the timing of the trip coming so soon after the coronation of the newly appointed Queen…a Queen who it seemed had just as many enemies as she did allies – I had taken Rose's advice, trusting that this was the right thing to do.

Flying into Moscow early yesterday, the drive to Baia had taken most of the day. Under normal circumstances, the trip should have been enjoyable as I showed Rose the wonder of my home…the home she had always mocked was covered in ice and snow, but with my mood fluctuating wildly between terror and anticipation, all it had been was long.

Arriving at the home I had been born in during the early part of the evening, I had felt the anxious energy I had been battling to contain since leaving Pennsylvania suddenly transform into a knot of dread deep in the pit of my stomach.

Rose – knowing instinctively that I was having second thoughts as my doubts turned into fear of rejection…of fear that my family would continue to see me as one of the evil, undead – had soothed my fear with her customary brand of tough love. It had given me the impetus I needed to get out the car and face whatever awaited me.

Encountering my baby sister first, Viktoria's unbridled joy and complete lack of fear at my arrival had instantly dispelled any uncertainties. Followed by the rest of my families' enthusiastic joy, I had allowed myself to push aside the remorse I could never shake and be happy for the moment to bask in their love and the euphoria of my homecoming.

As the news of my return spread quickly throughout the Dhampir community, most had been reticent and almost fearful of my arrival, but once they had seen for themselves that I was no longer one of what they feared, I had once again been accepted into the community.

The celebration that had followed – one that had produced enough food to feed the entire Siberian countryside and more vodka than any one person in their right mind could drink – had reunited me with those I had known since early childhood and would be talked about for decades.

Fearing that the conversation would revolve around the months of my life as a Strigoi…the months I would rather forget, some had raised a question or two over it, but most had been more interested to know about the process of my restoration. As I had told group after group of the feat of Magic that Vasilisa Dragomir had performed, the celebration of my return had turned into the celebration of our new Queen.

With the flow of vodka going unchecked throughout the night, most who were early risers would be anything _but_ come the morning.

Wandering lazily away from the house, I crossed over Yeva's vegetable patch, around the fire-pit still smouldering from the fires lit earlier and headed towards the fence lining the back border of our property. Illuminated brightly by the white light of the moon, the grass-lined yard and shrubbery appeared pale and eerily ghostly.

My eyes didn't need its light to see the way as they adjusted automatically to the darkness…and I certainly didn't need its light to find the one that I was looking for.

Appearing almost motionless, Rose stood at the ramshackle fence with her back towards me and her hands lightly grasping the top plank. Loose hair cascading down her back in a tumble of dark locks, the lighter, whispering strands caught in the breeze and floating up and around her shoulders.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction at the sight of her; one that sank deeply into the very marrow of my bones, my eyes glided possessively over her slender frame…a frame that hid the true strength it held, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. A frame that at the moment, was rigid and almost unapproachable.

Knowing that I was in for an argument, I mentally prepared myself as much as I ever could against an encounter with the often volatile Rosemarie Hathaway. Luckily, on this occasion – and it wasn't always the case – I knew exactly _why_ she was angry.

During the course of the night, Henry – a human Alchemist trained to conceal the presence of not only the Dhampir, but the Moroi and Strigoi from humans – had interrupted the festivities seeking my mother's help.

Learning that a Strigoi known as the Blood King was killing off all those who were foolish enough to seek him out in the foothills found north-west of town, none who had gathered to hear his tale had been concerned enough to do anything about it…it had only been Yeva who had changed that opinion as she all but declared that it was my duty to end him.

Rose had been furious with not only Yeva's interference, but with Viktoria's insistence as I accepted the task. Making sure that I knew she was going with me – as if I would have thought anything else – she clearly hadn't been happy with my decision, but had let the matter drop whilst my attention had been diverted by the throng of well-wishers.

With the majority of my time monopolized, I had seen the frustration in the depth of her eyes intensify as she stewed but could never get me alone long enough to talk about it and for a time, I had lost track of her. It was only now as the majority of those who had been gathered were leaving that I was able to look for her.

The adage of _don't borrow trouble_ came to mind as I closed in on her, but I knew that her anger was more fear based than anything else. Her natural instinct to protect those who could not had been very clearly reflected in her fierce brown eyes, but it was the fear that I so rarely saw that was the stronger of the emotions…her fear for me.

Since the restoration, my mental state had swung so violently from one day to the next that I knew she was still worried about me. Having conquered most of my demons with the aid of her love, faith and sheer stubbornness to never give up or give in, I had tried to live every day for itself.

There were still mornings when I woke to find that in the harsh light of day I couldn't stand to be within my own skin, but as I had Rose in my arms during most of those mornings, simply looking at her helped to keep the self-loathing at bay.

During those mornings and through any other darker day…she was my atonement.

Knowing that she could hear my approach, Rose's posture softened marginally, but her clear displeasure couldn't be overlooked. Curling my arms around her waist until my hands curved around the vaulting of her ribs, I pulled her backwards into the cradle of my body. She didn't fight the embrace, but neither did she return it.

Nuzzling into the dark mass of her hair, I buried my nose and inhaled until it felt as though the intoxicating scent of her had filtered through my lungs and outward as it invaded every cell with her essence. That scent had once been a trail leading to her death as I tracked her through the wilderness of Siberia, but now, it was as much my redemption as she was.

"Are Mark and Oksana still here?"

"Yes," I replied in a murmur muffled by her hair. Pulling loose from her tangled tresses, I rested my chin lightly on top of her head. "I don't think they'll stay for much longer though."

"Hmmm," she answered with a vague nod of her head, still making no move to release her grip on the top plank of the fence. Sighing against her, I decided to take the bull by the horns.

"What is it, Rose? What's on your mind?" I asked quietly, whilst all the while knowing exactly the type of reaction I was about to get. Feeling her softer posture stiffen one more as she became a rigid mass in my arms, Rose all but spat out between her gritted teeth.

"Really, Comrade? You just volunteered to go on a suicide mission against a Strigoi that's been killing for decades…one that is probably older, faster, smarter and stronger than any other you've ever encountered and you have to ask me that?!"

Turning swiftly on her heels in the circle of my arms with a move that was so smooth and fluid that my hold on her didn't move, just changed hands, Rose faced me with an expression on her beautiful face that would have made a weaker man shake in his boots as her fists clenched at her side.

Tightening my encircling arms, I crushed her gently to my chest as I looked beyond the anger on her face and saw to the fear that she wasn't able to fully mask.

"It's not a suicide mission," I reassured her gently, rubbing my thumbs lightly along a rib as a pacifying touch as stands of her hair blew over her face and she brushed them aside impatiently. "And what else could I do? What else could I say?"

"Anything! That's the problem. You just allowed Yeva and Viktoria to…to, I don't know; _pressgang_ you into this, Dimitri!"

Arching my brows at her choice of wording, I smothered the grin that would only get me into more trouble. "I think that's a harsh expression, Roza…and you hate history; do you even know what _pressgang_ means?"

"Okay, right now," she hissed as her rigid index finger dug into my chest. "This is so _not_ the time to mock my academic record, Comrade. I'm serious."

"So am I, _moye serdtse_ ,' I reassured her softly as my fingers curled around the one still poking me in the chest. I spread her hand over my sternum and moved it to cover my beating heart…the heart that she and she alone would forever own.

"Apart from Mark, you and I are the only Dhampir in the community that have any combat training. There are others that know how to defend themselves in a group if they need to, but they would only be walking into certain death if they went looking for it. These are also my people, Rose; if they're being targeted, I need to know that I've done everything I can to remove that threat. Can you understand that?"

Digging her fingertips lightly into the wool cover my heart, as if she could anchor herself to me, Rose sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course I can. I just hate the fact that your grandmother thinks she has some divine right to command free will!"

"That's not what she does." I clarified as tucked the wayward strands of her hair behind her ear and lightly toyed with her lobe. "But she is taken very seriously by those in this community, Rose and you know already from when you were here before that without her help, you would never have learnt that Spirit could be used to restore Strigoi."

When Yeva had muttered _'…only someone who has walked the road of death can kill the Blood King_ …' all eyes had instantly fallen to me. Even if I had wanted to decline, there was no chance to quietly bow out.

"Ughhhhh!" Rose groaned loudly in exasperation as she pulled her hand loose and threw them both up into the air. "So what Yeva Belikova says is just supposed to be taken as law around here? You're her grandson, for God's sake and she's sending you in to face a dangerous situation like you're going to the dentist, Dimitri! You know her supposed predictions are vague at best and bullshit at worst."

Never fully understanding the root of the antagonism between Rose and Yeva, I decided to switch tactic before she became so agitated that nothing I said or did would calm her down. "It's what we're trained for, Rose." I reminded her instead in a low, cajoling tone. "Besides, I'm not going in alone."

When Mark had volunteered to go with us, I had been secretly relieved.

Not doubting that together Rose and I could handle anything that came our way, I had still been concerned over the unfamiliarity of the situation we were walking into. It was one thing for me to approach a dangerous situation alone, but if I had Rose at my side, it wasn't something I was keen on doing.

Trained and recruited as a guardian, Mark's reputation – before he had chosen to leave the fraternity and live with his Moroi wife on the outskirts of society, away from those who judged them for their forbidden marriage – had been formidable amongst those of us who had known him.

Glad to have his experience, as it could only be an asset, there was something else that gave him an advantage…it was the same thing that gave Rose hers. They were both shadow kissed; they both had the ability to sense Strigoi before they were close enough to attack.

"I know it's what we're trained for, Dimitri," Rose muttered angrily as she stared at my chest and her fingers once again anchored over my heart. "And in any other situation, I wouldn't be making a big deal out of this, but it's not!"

Hearing her voice break slightly at the end, I frowned at her impassioned words. A passionate woman, Rose was prone to emotional outbursts, but this was different. Cupping her face with both hands, I tilted it upwards to meet her eyes as the moonlight reflected a glint of moisture she was quick to blink away.

"What is it then, Roza?" I asked forcefully, my concern for her leaving no room for argument or her customary evasions. "What difference does this time make when the other's before it were fine?"

Closing her eyes briefly, Rose inhaled deeply before she opened them again. As her lids and curling lashes revealed her eyes, they were suddenly a far darker brown than usual and the depths of them swam with anguished memories.

"He's in a cave, Dimitri…a _cave_." She uttered in a near whisper that quivered with the force of her emotion. "Do you remember what happened the last time you went into a cave? I do and it's all I can think about."

Aching to comfort her even as her words awoke the darker, deadened memory in my soul…the one I instinctively recoiled away from, I crushed her to my chest. Wrapping my arms around her with an unbreakable force, I hunched over her, crooning as we looked to comfort each other.

"It's not the same. We aren't going _into_ the caves, Roza. We'll wait outside and spring a surprise attack. This isn't going to be like…like the last time. I promise you. We won't ever have to go through that again."

Reliving those memories was not something that I wanted to do right now…not when it meant that I would sink back into a deeper, murkier place; one that I had fought so hard against already to stay out of, but her fear couldn't be dealt with in any other way.

"You were the one that told me I had to let go of the past…of the guilt. If I let my fear or the memories get in the way of what I do, then it's essentially the same thing. I know that you're worried, but you'll be with me and so will Mark. It won't happen again."

Rubbing her face over the wool covering my chest, Rose sniffed before shaking her head, but did not raise it from my warmth. "I was with you last time too; Dimitri…and it didn't make any damn difference. I promised you in the cabin that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and less then twenty-four hours later I failed."

Hearing the self-condemnation as she blamed herself for what had happened to me, I realised that all though she was very vocal about convincing me to let go of the past, she was no better at it than I was.

"Roza, don't. You can't blame yourself for what happened to me; I won't let you. We all knew the risk when we went in there and none of us would have chosen to do it any differently if we were faced with that decision again. The situation here is very different; you know that. There's a single Strigoi, not an army of them."

"Yeah, I know, but still…."

"Do you trust me, Rose?"

Lifting her head from my chest, Rose peered up into my face; one side darker, the other light as indignation chased away her remorse. "Well that's a stupid question, Comrade. Of course I trust you."


	2. Siberian Persuasion - Part Two

The ownership of all characters related to and involving the novels of _The Vampire Academy_ and _Bloodlines_ Series remain the sole property of Richelle Mead, the Penguin Group and any affiliates.

No copyrights have been infringed on maliciously.

Siberian Persuasion – Part Two

Cupping her chin, I raised her lips to mine as I whispered against them. "Then trust me on this. I'll be fine… _we'll_ be fine."

Sighing into the kiss as I felt her melt against me, Rose closed her eyes as she grumbled. "Great. That's really comforting, Dimitri. Damn Yeva and all her interfering. If it wasn't for her, this wouldn't have happened."

Rubbing my hands up and down her back in silent comfort as she complained about my grandmother, I held my tongue. Even without Yeva's proclamation, I probably would have offered to help if now one else had, but I thought it was probably a wiser – and healthier – decision to keep that to myself.

"She's actually very fond of you, you know?"

"Hmmm." Was her only reply, but I didn't sound as though she believed me.

"And," I pressed, knowing this was a perfect opportunity to distract her further from her angst as well as bringing up a subject that I had already broached since we had arrived…one she was adamantly opposed to. "She would be more accepting of your protests if you were an official member of the family."

Pulling away from my warm embrace so quickly that the cool spring air made me shiver, Rose glared at me as she crossed her arms over her chest and leant back against the fence as she put as distance between us as I would allow.

"Oh, no. Don't start that again. It's bad enough that I've had your mother and your sisters asking about when we're getting married since the moment we arrived, not to mention that half the community have been looking for a hidden engagement ring since all night. It's not happening. You had my answer last night."

"Would you feel differently if I got you a ring?" I asked in all seriousness as I hid my smile at her dogmatic obstinacy.

"No! Ring or no ring, I am not getting married at eighteen, Dimitri." Continuing to scowl at me, her eyes suddenly widened as the thought of something. "Or nineteen either." She added quickly.

Unable to contain my grin this time, I took a step forward and caged her in between my body and the fence. Running my hands along the top slate as I searched for any splinters, I fit my hands to her hips and lifted her up to sit on the top rung.

Grabbing my shoulders to steady herself, Rose eyed me warily as I slowly pushed apart her thighs, moving to stand between them as she closed them around my hips to keep her balance and I cupped her hips to keep her in closer contact. "What are you up to, Comrade?"

"Just lifting you up so we can see eye to eye on certain issues, Roza. It doesn't have to be right now," I coaxed gently as my fingers crept beneath the bottom edging of her sweater to sweep my fingertips lightly over the skin at the small of her back. "It can be a long engagement and we can get married when you're ready."

"What if I'm never ready?" She challenged stubbornly. Her voice was slightly breathless as she arched towards my touch.

Bending towards her, I gently sank my teeth into the fleshy lobe of her left ear, tugging with enough force to make her gasp softly. Licking the shallow indentation marks left by my teeth, I whispered with all seriousness into her ear. "Then I'm afraid that I'm going to have to trade you in."

Laughing into that same ear as I heard her growl of displeasure, Rose uncurled her right arm from around my neck, balled up her fist and punched me in the chest. The force was hard and the impact bruising, but I could tell that she hadn't put the full might of her raw strength behind it...she had a lethal right hook; one that I had experienced before.

Keeping my hold on her hips, I leant away to view her outraged expression. "Is that all you have, Rose? I thought I taught you better than that?"

Shaking her head at me as her lips curled upwards and her eyes spat sparks at me, I held up my hands in surrender as she dug her fingertips into my shoulders. "All right, all right…you win. I'll drop the idea of marriage if it means keeping the peace, but this isn't the last you're going to hear about it. We will eventually get married, _moye serdtse_."

Narrowing her eyes, Rose pursed her lips haughtily. "You seem very confident about that, Comrade. I think you're overestimating your brand of Russian charm."

"I don't. You're stubborn; no one knows that better than I do. All I have to do is keep wearing you down and you'll eventually give in to what I want." Sliding my hands along the length of her slender thighs, I cupped the swell of her buttocks as I pulled her tightly into the cradle of my hips. "I told you before that I could be persuasive."

It was the argument I had used last night…with very satisfying results.

Watching as her pupils dilated and her breathing increased rapidly at the memory, Rose pulled me closer, tilting her head to whisper in my ear. "Yes, you did…but if you keep bugging me about this, Comrade, it's _me_ who's going to be trading _you_ in."

Nipping at my ear to get her point across, I shuddered in Rose's arms before cupping her head. Angling it upwards, I kissed her greedily, suddenly wishing that the house wasn't full of people…but it was and one of them chose that exact moment to interrupt.

Listening with only half an ear as the rest of my brain was otherwise engaged, the loud banging of the kitchen door against the opposite wall as it was flung open with enough force to abuse it's ancient hinges made me pause.

Viktoria's voice – slower and thicker than normal thanks to the copious amounts of vodka that had been delivered to the house throughout the day – called out to us. "Hey, you two! Come inside…we found another bottle of Vodka! Dimka, enough. You can kiss her later. Now, we drink!"

Muttering an unflattering opinion of my sister's timing in Russian, I sighed before ending the kiss just as Rose pulled away to stare at me with horrified eyes. Shuddering as though her skin was crawling, she groaned. "Oh, God…I can't drink any more of it, Dimitri. Honestly, I can't. I think I still have the hangover from the last time I drank it."

Laughing at my little rebel and her intolerance for what Russian's considered a staple of social interactions, I kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose before lifting her from the fence. Keeping my arm wrapped solidly around her waist, I walked her back towards the house.

"You don't have to." I promised. "It's late; we'll make our excuses and head to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow anyway to start planning, so they won't make us feel guilty for skipping out."

Sighing heavily, Rose rested her head against my chest as we walked, but said nothing else. She still wasn't thrilled with this idea, despite my reassurances. I suddenly wished I could leave her behind, but I knew that the repercussions of _that_ would be far worse than anything I would find in the cave.

"I know you're concerned, but I also know that you would protect those who could not protect themselves with your dying breath because it's your nature." Kissing the top of her head, I squeezed her tightly. "Everything will be fine, Roza."

"Whatever you say, Comrade."

Walking past the lone tree in the yard; a primordial Siberian pine towering high above the house, I let go of Rose briefly and detoured slightly off to the left, bending to pick up a discarded pinecone from the ground. She wouldn't be able to focus properly for the hunt if I didn't give her a reassurance she actually believed in…the pinecone and the tree it came from would provide a handy metaphor.

Turning back to her as she looked at my quizzically, I held out the cone. Reaching my side, Rose took it from me and turned it over in her hand as I reached out to play with a strand of her hair; wrapping the silky filament around my finger and tugging gently.

"A pinecone?"

Nodding at her puzzled tone, I turned slightly to look at the tree over my shoulder. "When I was little, I used to climb up into the tree as high as I could go to see the land around me. For a boy of six, it represented freedom because I could see that there was more than just the house I lived in, the mother that loved me, the sister's that tormented me or the grandmother that punished me. It was limitless…like this tree."

Reaching out, I slapped my palm against the thick, sturdy trunk. "It's already over a hundred years old and could potentially live to be over eight-hundred-years; it's boundless…ageless, but its fate is ultimately out of its hands; ours isn't, Roza. We have the power; we just have to have faith in it."

Casting me a disparaging look, Rose unwound her hair from around my finger and arched a brow at my obvious play. "Zen master wisdom, Comrade or is this your subtle way of telling me that everything will be okay because you don't think I believed you the first few times you've told me?"

Hooking my arm around her waist as I again steered her towards the house, I bent to murmur in her ear. "A little bit of both, _moye serdtse_."

Opening the door for her, I shut it behind us as Rose wandered through ahead of me towards the family room, picking absently at trays of food lining every flat surface of the warm room. Most she avoided like the plague, but I had already learnt that it was the sweeter dishes that she favoured. None of what was here would go to waste; some of it we would keep, but the majority of it would be redistributed to the community by my mother and sister's tomorrow.

Walking into the family room, I found Rose standing just past the threshold. Coming up behind her, I curled my right arm around her waist as I looked over my family.

Gathered around a coffee table littered with glass and the bottle Viktoria had been crowing over earlier, Olena, Karolina and Sonya sat together on the three-seated sofa and beamed at us. Yeva was on her rocking chair in the corner; her wrinkled features appearing strangely smooth as she looked over Rose and I in a very different way.

Arching a brow, I looked around for my nephew and nieces, but they were nowhere to be found…neither were Mark and Oksana.

"They said to tell you both goodnight; they didn't want to disturb you, Dimka. Mark said he would back in the morning so that you could start strategizing." Olena offered as she noticed my searching gaze. "The children have been put to bed."

"Do you think Henry will be back tomorrow?"

Looking down at Rose as she asked the question of my mother, all three of us grimaced almost simultaneously.

Reclining against the faded floral upholstery of the sofa, Olena sighed. "I think he might, Rose. He's quite…persistent, as you found out for yourself today. I doubt he would go with you to the caves, but he will more than likely want to make sure that Dimka carries out the promise he made today."

Eyeing me with maternal concern, Olena didn't make as much noise as Rose did when she was unhappy about something, but I could clearly see the concern for me in her dark brown eyes. I nodded at her once, knowing she would know it meant that I would be careful.

Viktoria, having poured – or perhaps spilt was a more accurate description – the vodka into the shot glasses, grabbed two and wobbled her way over to us. Feeling Rose literally balk as my sister thrust one glass out to her and the other to me, I grinned broadly over her head, glad that she couldn't see it.

"Toast!" Viktoria announced as she reached back to the table for her own glass…and in the process, almost fell over it. Olena reached out to steady her as Sonya and Karolina stood with our mother, each of them catching an arm of their youngest sister. Yeva remained seated but alert as her dark eyes darted over each one of us in turn.

"To Dimka." They chorused together as the glasses were raised around the room towards me. "Welcome home; we missed you…we love you."

Keeping her glass aloft, Olena cleared her throat before smiling fondly at the pair of us. "I think I speak on behalf of the entire family when I say that we are not only celebrating your return to us, Dimka but we are also celebrating Rose's return."

"Mine?" Rose uttered in surprise as I felt her stiffen at my side. "Why?"

"Because if not for you, this happy reunion might never have taken place. When you arrived to tell us about what had happened to Dimka, we all thought that we had lost him, but in a strange way, we also felt as though we had some small part of him still…in you, Rose."

Walking forward over the old, faded carpet, Olena reached out to cup my chin first and then Rose's. "When you spoke of him that day, we could all see how much you loved him and so we opened our home and our hearts to you and you have chosen to also return to us and for that, we have been blessed twice."

Swallowing unevenly against the maternal affection I knew she was unused to, Rose blinked rapidly before she nodded but said nothing more as my mother reached out to hug her tightly. She might not have recognised it, but she had been unconditionally accepted as a member of my family since they had realised that she was the one I had chosen.

Returning her to me, Olena smiled as I hugged Rose as tightly to me as Olena had just done. Turning towards me, her gentle smile transformed quickly into a scowl as my chin was again gripped, but with far more force this time.

"And you," she scolded lightly. "Need to come home more. No more of this work till you drop nonsense. You have a life, Dimka. One that was returned to you for a reason and that reason was not so that you live it the same way you lived the last one!"

"Yes, Mama." I conceded meekly, secretly marvelling that this woman could still make me feel like a five-year-old.

Raising our glasses again, we toasted to our collective health, " _zazdarovje!_ " before tossing back the shot. Rose groaned quietly and shuddered before grimacing. Chuckling at her look of distaste, I kissed the top of her head as I heard Yeva's dry comment from the corner.

"If a shot of Russian vodka makes you flinch like that, little girl, how are you going to defeat the Blood King?"

Groaning at the taunting remark, I glowered at my grandmother as Olena shook her head in exasperation and reprimanded her in Russian for ruining the moment. Unapologetic, Yeva returned the rebuke before she set her empty glass down and resumed her knitting, continuing to mutter about those who were fated and those who were lazy and undisciplined.

Unfortunately Rose had managed to pick up enough Russian along the way to understand the gist of the conversation. Hackles rising before I could distract her, I heard her teeth grind together as whatever placid manner she might have had from Olena's affection disappeared.

"If you think I can't handle it," Rose challenged softly but with enough venom in her voice to get her point across. "Then why did you allow us to volunteer? 

"I didn't…it was Dimka, not you, that was destined."

Fuming, Rose tried to pull away from me to directly confront Yeva but I kept her tightly restrained at my side as she spat. "You know damn well old woman that I'm not going to let him go off by himself."

"So then why all the noise?" Yeva grunted as she swopped needles and began a cross-stich. "You American's talk before you think and think too much before you act. Are you so sure that you're the right one for my grandson?"

"All right. That's enough," I interrupted quickly as the look of violence on Roses face spurred me into action. "It's late; we're going to bed." Dragging her bodily behind me before the explosion obliterated everything within a five-mile radius, I wished my family a hasty goodnight and all but towed Rose up the stairs.

My old bedroom; the one that was now used by Viktoria, had been cleared for us to use and was found at the farthest corner of the house to the right. It was also at the opposite end to the one used for the children, which right now, was a very good thing as I felt Rose literally vibrating with rage.

Walking swiftly through along the hallway lined with frame pictures of the generations of Belikov's that had come before us, I opened our bedroom door and pulled her into it.

Shaking loose of my hold as soon as I had closed the door, Rose stalked the length of the small room with angry, agitated strides. Leaving the main light off, I moved to the double bed and switched on the bedside lamp as gentle yellow light provided enough light to easily see.

Sitting on the edge of the bed as Rose continued to pace, I waited for the backlash.

It wasn't long in coming…

"Someone needs to put her in her place, Dimitri." Rose growled as she turned on me. "It's one thing having her doubt my abilities and insult me because I'm American, but this bullshit about being unworthy of you is really starting to piss me off. Lissa and I are the only reason you're here right now! She wasn't the one that went looking for you!"

"I know it is, Roza," I appeased as she turned on her heel and continued to stomp across the room. "But this is exactly the kind of reaction she's looking for…and you're playing right into her hands. She's an antagonist; it's her nature, but not in a way that's meant to be malicious."

Shucking my boots, I set them beside me as Rose turned to glower at me. "She believes in others far more than they believe in themselves and to her if that potential isn't being used, it's a waste. It's why she pushes you so hard in particular…she knows that you're capable of great things."

"Oh, please!" Rose rubbished. "That old witch isn't looking to encourage me; she's looking to piss me off!" Running her fingers agitatedly through her hair, Rose paused for a second before she looked at me with a calculating gleam in her eyes…one that worried me far more than her rage.

"You know what?" she said, coming to stand in front of me. "You're absolutely right. We should get married…tomorrow! It shouldn't be difficult to find a priest who's willing or even a justice of the peace or whatever passes as that over here…that'll shut her up once and for all."


	3. Siberian Persuasion - Part Three

The ownership of all characters related to and involving the novels of _The Vampire Academy_ and _Bloodlines_ Series remain the sole property of Richelle Mead, the Penguin Group and any affiliates.

No copyrights have been infringed on maliciously.

Siberian Persuasion – Part Three

Shaking my head as I sighed at her suggestion, I lowered my head and rubbed at the back of my neck as my hair parted to fall on either side of my face. "As much as I would love to marry you, Rose, I would prefer that it was because you actually wanted to and not just to spite my grandmother."

Looking up at her as I cocked a brow, Rose had the good grace to actually look sheepish at my sardonic comment.

"Fine," she grumbled. "So maybe it's not the best idea…but she makes me so damn angry all the time." Turning away, Rose crossed to the window overlooking the back garden and played with the simple, linen curtain as she twisted it between her fidgety fingers.

"I know she does, but she's an old woman set in her ways. Don't let her get to you." Knowing that she would never be able to sleep whilst she was this agitated, I got off the bed and tugged the woollen jumper over my head.

Hanging it over the back of the chair at my old study desk, I walked back to the bed and climbed onto it again, resting my back against the old oak headboard as I stretched my legs out and crossed them at the ankle as my hands rested in my lap.

"Come to bed, Roza." I coaxed, knowing that my bare chest should provide enough of a distraction to calm her down…or fire her up, but in a different way. "It's been a long day for everyone."

Turning around from the window, Rose's eyes were already narrowed dangerously at my very obvious attempts to placate her, but as she took in my calm demeanour and naked chest, the hunger that she could not hide from her eyes made me smile.

"No," she grumbled throatily as her eyes traced over every inch of my bare chest. "I'm too wound up to sleep." 

Patting the pale blue comforter next to me, I smirked lazily. "I know a very effective way to unwind you."

Eyeing me now a touch more warily than before, Rose shook her head as she moved away from the window, but would not approach the bed. "Sex is not the answer to everything, Comrade…and do you really think I want to sleep with you when all I can think about is strangling your grandmother?"

Resting her hands on her hips, Rose looked at the door before she started for it. "I need to get this off my chest now, Dimitri. I won't be able to do anything else until I do." Striding quickly, she was almost at the door before I realised it, but I was faster.

Springing upright, I leapt of the bed and was at the door before her hand could touch the handle. Grasping her shoulders, I turned her away from it and steered her towards the bed. "No. Leave it alone for tonight; you're tired. You and my grandmother can continue your argument tomorrow. Just let it go for the time being."

"Fine," Rose groused as she felt my hard grip on her shoulders. "I'll fight with the old witch tomorrow."

Grinning, I kissed the top of her head as I released my hold on her. "Good." I agreed, turning my back to her as I bent to pull off my socks. "You need to learn to turn the other cheek, Roza." I added twisting at the waist to watch that she didn't make a break for the door again whilst my back was turned. "Especially with Yeva."

"You taught me to never turn _anything_ when facing off, Comrade."

"True," I mumbled as I smothered a yawn and straightened. Raising my arms above my head, I stretched before my fingers moved to undo the buckle of my belt. "But turning your cheek isn't the same as turning your back and my grandmother isn't a Strigoi." I reminded her as I began to undo the buttons of my jeans.

"Turning your back, you say?"

Maybe it was the after effects of the vodka still running through my system or the fact that I was tired that made my brain more sluggish and my reflexes slower, but I didn't hear the dangerous inflection in Rose's voice until it was too late and she had already leapt into the air to attack me.

Feeling her impact against my back with barely more force than if a pillow had hit me, Rose wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck as she clung tightly to me in what was supposed to be a strangle hold. Standing perfectly still, I sighed as I easily shouldered her weight.

"And now what, Roza?" I asked quietly as I tried…and failed to keep the amusement from my voice.

"I don't know, Comrade," she murmured in my ear as she rested her chin on my right shoulder. "I really didn't think this far ahead."

"What a surprise."

Latching gently onto her arms, I arched my back as I slung her around quickly over my shoulder and followed her down onto the bed, cradling her to me as I cushioned the fall and we bounced together.

Levering herself upwards as she used my shoulders for a springboard, Rose drew her legs up from beneath mine and pushing her knees into my chest, rolled me over onto my back so that she straddled my waist.

"And now what, Dimitri?" she taunted, turning my words around on me as she rested her hands on my chest and leaned towards me. It reminded me strongly of when we had fought during the field-testing. I hadn't been able to do what I had wanted to then, but I could now.

Smirking, I laced my fingers together behind my head and stretched out beneath her as I felt my cock begin to swell painfully within the confines of my jeans. "Anything you want, Roza…anything you want."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Rose returned my smirk. "No. I told you that you weren't going to distract me with sex and I meant it. Besides, the kids are asleep and I don't feel like getting those knowing looks from you family again at breakfast."

"Are you sure?" I teased with a softly wicked drawl, sliding my hands from beneath my head and resting them lightly on her hips. "It didn't stop us last night." Massaging her curves, I grinned up at her. "We'll be very, very quiet."

Arching a brow, I chuckled beneath my breath at her expression, but my mirth soon died off as I once again saw the scheming gleam in her eyes. This one was different from the other, but it worried me all the same…like I had issued an ultimatum that I was going to regret.

"You think that you can keep quiet, Comrade." Rose asked very softly as her fingers twisted around the buttons running along the shoulders and collar of her sweater. "We'll have to see about that, now won't we?" Leaving the soft wool gaping open at her clavicle, Rose slide more buttons loose from their moorings at her wrists and pulled the jumper over her head.

Swallowing roughly at the sight of her silk-encased breasts, my fingers clenched on Rose's hips, but the involuntary movement wasn't just in reaction to her luscious curves. Just to the left of her sternum lay a faint mark. It had healed completely, but would forever leave a barely discernible scar as a reminder…a reminder of how close I had come to losing her.

"Cat got your tongue, Comrade?" Rose teased as she assumed my silence was caused by the lust I could barely control around her. Normally she was right, but for the moment, my need was slightly tempered by the memories that haunted me almost as much as my own nightmares.

I could still hear the echo of exploding gunpowder in the barrel as the hammer struck it after the trigger had been squeezed…of the smell of that same gunpowder burning in the air…of the sound of the bullet tearing through her flesh…of the hot, sticky smell of her blood as it pooled beneath her faster than anyone could stop.

Sitting up suddenly, I fit Rose more comfortably on my lap as I bent over her slightly and nuzzled at the mark with the tip of my nose before placing a gentle kiss over it. Feeling her fingers sink into my hair, I knew that she knew where my thoughts lay and was trying to comfort me…to remind me that she was still alive and in my arms.

Unhooking the clasp at her back, I peeled the pale mauve lingerie out of my way as her full breasts bounced free. Cupping them gently together, I kissed over the smooth flesh as I moved from one nipple to the other; sucking first softly, then roughly on them in turn as she arched to my touch and dug her fingers into my scalp.

I wanted her with me always…tied to me in every way that she could be. It was the only way I could hold the panic at bay.

"Marry me." I whispered wetly around her left nipple before my teeth sank gently into the turgid nub.

"No." she answered, whimpering at my touch as she arched over my head and pulled me closer. "Besides," she panted. "I really don't think you need any more wives right now. What am I, like wife number eleven or twelve?"

Releasing her nipple reluctantly with one final tug, I frowned up at her through my own lust-addled confusion. "What are you talking about, Roza? Wife number eleven or twelve…what?"

Laughing softly at my dumbfounded expression, Rose smoothed my hair away from my forehead before she explained. "Viktoria told me that when you were little and wanted to play with Karolina and her friends that they would make you dress up and marry their dolls before they would let you."

Kissing my nose, Rose whispered against it as I remained speechless. "You should have told me before that you were a polygamist, Dimitri."

Closing my eyes as I exhaled huffily and shook my head in annoyance, Rose continued to laugh at me; her breasts pressing tightly to my chest with every movement of her lungs as her amusement at my discomfort increased. My sister and I were going to have words over this.

Rolling Rose beneath me whilst she was still laughing, I pinned her to the bed and caged her in. "You think that's funny, do you?" I growled lightly, nipping lightly at her throat as I kissed my way down to her collar bone.

"Yes…very," Rose almost spluttered. "I kept trying to imagine six-year old Dimitri being married off to a doll. You probably took it very seriously and repeated your vows as though they were the most important thing in the world."

"Of course I did" I answered solemnly before my tongue traced over the patterning of bone between the arch of her neck and her shoulder. "You should know by now that I don't take any vow lightly, Roza. You however, seem to think they're interchangeable."

Wiping away the moisture from the corners of her eyes, Rose scowled at me as I raised my head to view the reaction that I already knew was coming; her mirth now replaced with irritation. "I do not!" she protested, pushing at my head as she tried to wiggle out of my grasp. "I have never said that they're interchangeable, Dimitri, only that some of them are more important than others."

Trapping her beneath the full weight of my body, I grinned at her. "It's not nice to tease others, now is it, Rose?"

Glaring up at me as she realised I wasn't questioning her loyalty, just making a point, Rose opened her mouth to blast me, but I had other ideas for her lush lips.

Covering them quickly, I slipped my tongue into her mouth as she moaned around it. Feeling whatever resistance she might have once had fade away as her limbs twined around my body, I ground my aching cock against her hip as desire swept over both of us.

Breaking the kiss with a groan, I sprung up again and quickly pulled off her boots, socks and jeans. Standing over her as I dropped her clothing to the floor, Rose grinned at me as her legs curled up and she ran her hands over her inner thighs.

Shuddering, my fingers trembled slightly as I finished unzipping my jeans. Rising to her knees, Rose walked towards me over the bed; her full breasts swaying slightly from the movements as she stopped at the edge of the bed.

Running her hands over my chest as I stood rigid and shivering with arousal, I groaned and twitched beneath her touch as the short edge of her nails caught at the points of my nipples. Gliding them downwards over the abdominal muscles hardened by years of training, Rose traced her forefingers over the vaulting of my hips as her meandering fingers moved inwards and further south.

Parting the jeans, Rose hooked her thumbs into them and the boxers beneath, peeling them slowly down past the jut of my hard cock as it bobbed for her touch and slowly down my thighs until I was able to kick them off as they slide towards my ankles.

Desperate for her touch, I angled my thick cock towards the hands that were still on my hips with short thrusts, but Rose had other ideas. Climbing off the bed, she gave me a look that should have scared me, but it only further inflamed my lust.

Walking around me to the left, her hand forged a fiery path over first my chest, my shoulder and then my back as she moved out of my view. Curling her arms around my midriff, Rose stood on her toes and pressed her full breasts to my back; her stiff nipples grinding into the muscles on either side of my spinal column.

"Uh-uh," she admonished as my hands moved to cover hers. "Keep them at your sides, please."

Groaning harshly in the back of my throat, I complied with reluctance. She was going to torture me over the comment about teasing people…I could hear it in her voice.

Placing soft, open-mouthed kisses over the expanse of my tense shoulders, I shivered as the drag of her nipples followed the path of her mouth. Sliding her hands from their light clasp against my ribs, her slender fingers pinched lightly against my skin as she moved downwards and found the source of my pain.

Cupping my throbbing testicles with one hand as the other wrapped around the length of my pulsating cock, Rose closed her fingers into a fist so tight I could feel the blood forcibly pounding through the bursting veins as she slowly stroked over the length from root to tip whilst I groaned pleadingly.

Biting gently into the fleshy lobe of my right ear, Rose whispered seductively into it. "Still think it's nice to tease people? Still think we can be quiet, Comrade?"

Swallowing thickly, I tried to speak, but my throat was dry and tight. Taking that as a provocation, Rose murmured huskily. "Fine…challenge accepted."

Sinking her teeth delicately into the muscles of my shoulder, my neck arched back as I felt her hold on my cock tighten to the point of physical pain, but I remained still. Gliding only once from the base as she lingered for a moment on the swollen head, her grip immediately loosened on the return stroke.

So lightly that it almost felt as though there was no hold at all, my hips bucked forward as her grip on my testicles was released and she scored her short nails from my pubic bone to my collar bone, plucking at my nipple again as she continued to drive me slowly mad.

Returning to her soft grip, Rose once again stroked along the pulsing length. Thumbing the pooling slit, she rubbed along it with teasing, flickering touches before completely abandoned my cock, instead running her other hand up my torso.

"Rose," I growled warningly in a low, guttural tone.

"Quiet, Comrade…or are you going to forfeit and beg me?"

"Never!" I gritted.

Laughing softly up at me, Rose scrapped her nails lightly along the rigid veins running the length of my penis as I ground my teeth together, yearning for a stronger, rougher touch, but she was intent on pushing me…or punishing me. I was sure it was a bit of both.

Fleeting touches and light caresses followed for another minute as I began to sweat and shake from the rising lust I only barely had a leash on. I would only be able to last so long before I broke down and begged. Gritting my teeth, I focused on my fraying control and closed my eyes.

Gliding her hands downwards as I prepared myself for the torture that would follow, Rose's hands slide along my hips and then off my body entirely. Frowning at the loss, I heard the almost silent swish of silk being lowered over flesh that was just as smooth and soft, opening my eyes, I watched the matching mauve panties fly onto the floor, leaving Rose naked.

Clenching my fists, I sucked in a deep breath as I felt Rose laugh softly against my back. Once again resuming her soft grip, Rose daubed her thumb against my slit again, gathering the pearly streams of semen dribbling down my heated penis. Spreading the lubricant, she masturbated me with slow, gliding movements that provided barely enough friction and kept me teetering painfully on the edge.

Knowing I was fighting a losing battle, I finally conceded, almost panting as I pleaded softly. "Please, Roza…harder. It's not enough, _moye serdtse_."

"Never didn't turn out to be as long as you thought it would be now was it, Dimitri?" Rose taunted in a voice that knew she held all the power.

Losing my hold on the leash that bound me; I spun around and bent over her swiftly, clamping my mouth over hers as I slide my hands over her buttocks, sliding her thighs apart as I lifted her where I stood. Curling her legs around my waist, her ankles locked at the small of my back as I cradled her by the buttocks and devoured her mouth.

Ploughing her fingers through my hair to greedily cradle my head, Rose whimpered into my mouth; grinding her slick vagina against my lower abdomen as she searched for what she wanted as desperately as I did.

Adjusting my grip on her buttocks, I rubbed the head of my cock against the slickness of her vagina just once before ploughing roughly into her wet heat. Feeling the strangle hold of her walls grip and torment my aching flesh, I plunged deeply as I kept her in place; my buttocks tightening and contracting with every thrust as I locked my knees in place to keep my legs from buckling beneath me.

Crying out around my tongue, Rose keened as I felt her wet depths drench my cock as her orgasm built violently. Feeling my own testicles tightened and pull, I bucked wildly into her, panting and groaning harshly into her mouth as I felt my own climax rise.

Wanting to prologue, but knowing it was pointless as I felt the ecstasy tingle in the base of my spine, I ground roughly upwards, piercing deeply with every lunging upstroke as I felt Rose convulse around me. Gasping into my mouth, she shivered in my arms as her orgasm drained away and triggered my own.

Thrusting to the hilt as our pelvic bones ground together, I pumped my semen deep into her body with a strangled groan. Breaking our kiss as I threw back my head, my hips jerked repeatedly into her long after I had spent. Panting as I fought against blacking out from the pleasure, I took a staggering step towards the bed and fell backwards onto to it with Rose still wrapped tightly around me.

Shaking from the drain of ecstasy, I felt Rose slowly slide her legs from around my waist and out from beneath me. Pulling her tightly to my chest, I slumped back against the mattress and tried to slow my breathing and my rapid heart rate.

"I told you we could keep quiet, Roza." I breathed hoarsely when I was able to speak again.

Chuckling weakly against my neck, she pressed a small kiss to my sweat-dampened skin. "And I told you I could make you beg, so it seems we were both right, Comrade."

Kissing her damp forehead, I breathed deeply as our scent mingled in the cool, Siberian air. Propping herself up on her elbow, I felt rather than saw that she was looking down at me. Brushing aside the strands of sweat-damped hair from my forehead, I opened my eyes to watch her as she watched me.

"You're sure that we should be doing this?"

It took me a few seconds to clear the fog of sexual satisfaction from my brain before I realised what she was talking about. "Going after the Blood King?"

At her nod, I stroked over the arch of her brow and down her cheekbone as my thumb traced over her lower lip. "Yes. If we left without dealing with it, you would happier knowing that there was no danger for any of us, but the farther away from Baia we travelled, the more you would regret not staying to deal with it."

Sighing, Rose slumped down on my chest again as she realised I was right or more accurately, she realised that she couldn't argue against me. "Damn you and you're logic…you're just as annoying as Yeva."

"Yes," I conceded with hidden amusement, "but you love me more, right?"

"Sometimes," she muttered quietly. Looping her arms around my neck, Rose settled in against me as I bodies began to cool as she pressed her lips to my damp cheek.

"Thank you, Roza." I murmured in lazy contentment.

"For what? Loving you?" She asked with amusement in her own voice.

"Yes…but also for forcing me to come home. For knowing that it was the right thing to do even when I couldn't."

"You're welcome. I'm sure you would have figured it out yourself eventually – you are a very smart man…you chose me, so you'd have to be. How was it for you today? Was I right?" Rose asked quietly as I heard the drowsiness in her voice. It wouldn't be long before she was asleep.

Thinking back to the conversations we had had leading up to my decision to return home, one where Rose had convinced me that it was the right thing to do…that my family and those I had known since childhood would welcome me back unequivocally, I knew what she was talking about.

"Yes," I murmured against her forehead as her hair tickled my nose and I drew her closer. "You're not always right, Rosemarie Hathaway…but when you are, you're very rarely wrong."


End file.
